Mr. Rosser

Mobile Technology

The Mobile Device: How to Maximize It

By Drew Rosser, VP of Business Development, Whiteboard Labs

As a hotelier, a hotel chain you need to be much more just an adopter of these new technologies. You truly need to be an innovator and explorer of these technologies. You need to be looking at how you can better target market via these devices, to better service your client base before they arrive, better service them once they do arrive and how to better service them once they leave. As well as from an operation stand point how to maximize this technology to better serve your operation on a local and global landscape.

Nobody truly wants to be restricted to sitting at a desk in order to receive, send or gather information. At least the PC gave us some freedom. Then the mobile era kicked in. Already the mobile device is so much more than just a cell phone. They really are hand held computers allowing us to talk, SMS, MMS, Video chat, surf the Web, organize, play and be entertained. Especially now with the iPad and soon to be released competitive devices the race to grab our always-connected mentality is firmly embedded into our DNA. The key now is how to best make use of these very intriguing gadgets and how to use them in tandem with more traditional marketing and operational strategies.

I think everyone understands the need to have a mobile version of your hotel Web site along with a mobile booking engine designed for the mobile device or tablet like device such as the iPad. However, what else can be done or should be explored as possible uses for these amazing devices?

The overall key is relevant convenience. As a hotelier you do not want to come across as an annoying SMS sender or technology over loader to your client base. If you give your clients the ability to chose their preferred communication method then please respect that. However, the use of SMS is a great way to allow your clients to communicate to the hotel to ask for additional towels, alert you of potential problems, even request a wake up call or turn down service. I’m of the opinion that someone is much more likely to alert the hotel of a potential issue if they can easily SMS the hotel than find a house phone or find a staffer face to face. Even comments from the guest after check out can easily be handled by SMS. There are a number of companies out there offering this technology. When you doing your due diligence make sure that the technology truly gives you and your clients what is needed. Do not get caught up in the glitzy wow factor. Make sure that there is a solid infrastructure to support it and the tools deliver what you want.

For more operational types of daily activity think about being able to control specific aspects of your hotel’s operation via one of these hand held devices. Rate manipulation, availability controls, access to specific types of reports. More importantly, alerts via email or SMS then if the CRS or even PMS were accessible via a hand held one could react to the alert. Close out a specific channel, open something up or make rate changes.

From a reporting standpoint to see trends, check in and check out levels, revenue per day, by channel. The list is really up to the discretion of the hotel. Customize the list of reports you deem most valuable to you and have them available via your mobile device of choice. I think visual representation of these reports is also very important. Just a list of numbers really does not cut it anymore. You need to see graphs, pie and bar charts. Layer historical information over each other to see real trends. I can even see the use of slider bars to manipulate dates and view areas to better define the data.

The entire user interface for a CRS or PMS would need to be completely re-worked in order for it to be truly usable on the smaller hand held device. However, think of the potential to free up your front desk staff. The term front desk could one day become obsolete. No need to work behind a desk. Curbside check in? Room keys? Who needs a room key? Firms are already coming out with technology that allows your smart phone to be your room key.

For a large hotel or resort that has many outlets, restaurants, bars, spa these devices could be hugely useful from an operational standpoint. No more writing of orders then walking over to deliver the order. Just tap the order into the device and send to the proper prep area with all the details of the guest along with the location of where it needs to be delivered. This technology exists already but the devices are specific to certain outlets such as food outlets. However, if the devices were totally agnostic to the outlet and could seamless jump from taking food orders to sending messages to other guests or other areas of the hotel now you are really changing things. Can you imagine if the poolside waiter could also make a spa appointment or book a golf tee time for a guest? Better yet, allow the guest to do those things on their own 24/7 using the very same type of device.

Things are changing and evolving at such a rapid pace. As a consumer of technology I am somewhat reluctant to make a purchase because I know that something better will be on the horizon in another 90 to 120 days. As a hotelier you really cannot do this. You need to be thinking out of the box and not get stuck in the day to day. Yes the day-to-day things have to be dealt with but that is not your baseline. How can you improve on what you are already doing? How can you improve the pre-arrival experience, the stay experience and the how-to-get-them-back experience?

Look at your operation and see where you could improve service and efficiency by deploying something new. It is okay to take small steps as long as you are taking steps forward. These are very exciting times technologically speaking. Functionality is improving and costs of deployment are coming down. All of this really should be embraced by the industry and taken full advantage of. I look forward to what is around the corner and can’t wait to see what is next

Drew Rosser joined Whiteboard Labs to focus on iHotelier CRS sales. After the sale of iHotelier to TravelCLICK, Mr. Rosser became the Director of Operations for the iHotelier division of TravelCLICK. He started in Orlando, Florida, then moved to Atlanta, accepting a position at Holiday Inn's Corporate Flagship Hotel as the Assistant Guest Relations Manager. He was Guest Relations Manager at another Holiday Inn property in the Atlanta area. Mr. Rosser sits on the Boards of Linx Technologies and Force 10. Both are technology based and deal with enterprise level systems. Mr. Rosser can be contacted at 713-333-9944 or drosser@whiteboardlabs.com Extended Bio...

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